Sunday, June 29: Before I came to India, I didn’t know the difference between Delhi and New Delhi. Was it the same area or spaced apart? Concentric, with Old Delhi in the middle and new built up around the center (or visa versa?). Two cities right next to each other? It’s more of the latter. Old Delhi houses the 17th Century Red Fort, which even from the outside is spectacular when you think about when it was built and how it must have looked to people back then, unable to compare them to machine-built sky scrapers.
We went there on Sunday, June 29th, with the Ambassador of El Salvador. Yep! The adventures never cease. Maria Luisa knew her from their previous work and they have reconnected here. She invited us on a tour of the city with her and her mother who is living here as well. They’d hired a car with a driver and tour guide, for a half-day tour. We left at 4:30 p.m. (mid-day?!) and the adventure began.
First to Qutb Minar, a 73 meter high tower constructed over several centuries (1193-1368) by different rulers. Then to the Lotus Temple, a unique structure built by people of the Bahai faith. Then to the Red Fort, passing temples and graves and museums along the way. We mostly stayed in the car, to see more things, but got out at the Lotus Temple and walked around a bit. It was very interesting to see tourists from all over India there. I’ve only really been around Indian people from Delhi. Granted, many people from Delhi are from other areas, if our office is any representation, but just as when visiting the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, you are going to see fewer Philadelphians than folks from other parts of the country and the world. We were some of the only non-Indian people there. Several people took pictures of us as we walked, and one brave lady stopped the Ambassador and her mother to take pictures with them. We took a photo, too, to remember the moment, and many other people snapped the shot as well.
First to Qutb Minar, a 73 meter high tower constructed over several centuries (1193-1368) by different rulers. Then to the Lotus Temple, a unique structure built by people of the Bahai faith. Then to the Red Fort, passing temples and graves and museums along the way. We mostly stayed in the car, to see more things, but got out at the Lotus Temple and walked around a bit. It was very interesting to see tourists from all over India there. I’ve only really been around Indian people from Delhi. Granted, many people from Delhi are from other areas, if our office is any representation, but just as when visiting the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, you are going to see fewer Philadelphians than folks from other parts of the country and the world. We were some of the only non-Indian people there. Several people took pictures of us as we walked, and one brave lady stopped the Ambassador and her mother to take pictures with them. We took a photo, too, to remember the moment, and many other people snapped the shot as well.
We made it up to the Red Fort at 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. There was a Sunday second-hand sale on the streets: a giant flea market laid out on blankets along the sidewalks. We drove down an alley where they were selling oriental rugs, and continued on as the alley narrowed, making our way to the Jama Masjid Mosque. You can’t go during prayers, which was when we were there, but truthfully we were not planning to get out. We’d separately been warned by people that this is the area to be the most careful as tourists. This was also the place where I’ve first seen what the media tends to portray as the typical beggars – men and women with severe deformities crawling, or shuffling in a seated position, moving in among the traffic. It was heart-wrenching.
The area was extremely crowded. Several times we drove through the crowds, beeping and making people part to let us through. I hated every minute of it. 4 white people in an air conditioned van pummeling through a market where people are buying necessities. It’s the kind of experience I avoid on my own, but when you’re being taken somewhere and aren’t directing the experience, you have to just go with the flow. (I don’t mean to say that the Ambassador had sought that dynamic, either…We were all at the mercy of the tour guide and did ask him to change his course a number of times for similar reasons).
Once out of the crowd and toward the mosque, it was better. Off to the sides there were tiny alley ways that longed to be explored (don’t worry, I’ll find out whether it’s safe to do so or not…it was late on a Sunday evening so I couldn’t tell whether it was always dark and quiet or usually vibrant during the day time hours). I definitely want to come back, but with one of us carrying a subtle money belt and the other with a camera and that’s it. No bags.
While by the mosque, we saw a funeral procession pass us by. The corpse was laid on a wooden board, and covered with a white sheet and flowers, carried by four people on their shoulders. There were maybe 15 other people, all of them jogging along singing or chanting. It came and left pretty quickly. Pretty remarkable how out in the open it was.
The driving… the driver was pretty tame compared to most, but he did do a few very frightening things such as stop in the middle of a 4-lane road (highway) when he saw water at a road side shop to the left, and we’d recently asked if we could stop for water. I don’t know how we made it over. He also had to put the breaks on pretty quickly a number of times, and no one (besides me) was wearing a seatbelt, so there were a lot of fearful gasps and shouts of “Dios Mio!” That created some tension as the guide in turn scolded the driver and then told us, “I scolded him.” It’s also not an issue here when people burp (they in fact keep feeding you until you do…) and the driver kept on belching, to more exclamations of “Dios Mio!”
I’ve learned to not be afraid of the driving. If the person driving is particularly aggressive, or brakes very late (how’s that for a nice way of saying things), I just close my eyes. The same thing is going to happen whether I feel frightened or not, and I’ve managed to internalize that and my heart rate is not affected as we go from one driving adventure to the next.
We got home around 8:00 and sat together talking and drinking wine, eating cheese and crackers. There’s always a strange feeling when relaxing in luxury after such an experience, but it was restful and welcome, and really nice talking with two very interesting people.
Well, that was my weekend. Saturday was Lajpat Nagar, and Sunday was a half day adventure around the city.
I hope everyone’s well. I miss you!
Sarah
The area was extremely crowded. Several times we drove through the crowds, beeping and making people part to let us through. I hated every minute of it. 4 white people in an air conditioned van pummeling through a market where people are buying necessities. It’s the kind of experience I avoid on my own, but when you’re being taken somewhere and aren’t directing the experience, you have to just go with the flow. (I don’t mean to say that the Ambassador had sought that dynamic, either…We were all at the mercy of the tour guide and did ask him to change his course a number of times for similar reasons).
Once out of the crowd and toward the mosque, it was better. Off to the sides there were tiny alley ways that longed to be explored (don’t worry, I’ll find out whether it’s safe to do so or not…it was late on a Sunday evening so I couldn’t tell whether it was always dark and quiet or usually vibrant during the day time hours). I definitely want to come back, but with one of us carrying a subtle money belt and the other with a camera and that’s it. No bags.
While by the mosque, we saw a funeral procession pass us by. The corpse was laid on a wooden board, and covered with a white sheet and flowers, carried by four people on their shoulders. There were maybe 15 other people, all of them jogging along singing or chanting. It came and left pretty quickly. Pretty remarkable how out in the open it was.
The driving… the driver was pretty tame compared to most, but he did do a few very frightening things such as stop in the middle of a 4-lane road (highway) when he saw water at a road side shop to the left, and we’d recently asked if we could stop for water. I don’t know how we made it over. He also had to put the breaks on pretty quickly a number of times, and no one (besides me) was wearing a seatbelt, so there were a lot of fearful gasps and shouts of “Dios Mio!” That created some tension as the guide in turn scolded the driver and then told us, “I scolded him.” It’s also not an issue here when people burp (they in fact keep feeding you until you do…) and the driver kept on belching, to more exclamations of “Dios Mio!”
I’ve learned to not be afraid of the driving. If the person driving is particularly aggressive, or brakes very late (how’s that for a nice way of saying things), I just close my eyes. The same thing is going to happen whether I feel frightened or not, and I’ve managed to internalize that and my heart rate is not affected as we go from one driving adventure to the next.
We got home around 8:00 and sat together talking and drinking wine, eating cheese and crackers. There’s always a strange feeling when relaxing in luxury after such an experience, but it was restful and welcome, and really nice talking with two very interesting people.
Well, that was my weekend. Saturday was Lajpat Nagar, and Sunday was a half day adventure around the city.
I hope everyone’s well. I miss you!
Sarah
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